US arrests 119 in biggest Mafia bust
Baku, January 21 (AZERTAC). Authorities arrested 119 organized crime suspects on Thursday in what the FBI called the largest single-day operation against the Mafia in history.
The roundup, conducted with the help of former mobsters turned informants, shows the Mafia remains a threat despite decades of crackdowns that have sent its hierarchies to prison but also that the famed "omerta" code of silence is largely a myth, officials said. More than 800 federal and local law-enforcement officials detained suspects in at least four states plus one in Italy, targeting New York`s five Mafia "families," one in New Jersey and one in New England. Sixteen grand jury indictments charged 127 suspects with murder, drug trafficking, extortion, gambling, loan-sharking and other crimes going back 30 years, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder told a news conference in New York.
Five of those indicted were already in prison, putting the total number detained at 124, and three others were not in custody, the Justice Department said. The Italian-American Mafia, also known as La Cosa Nostra with its roots in Sicily, maintains a hold on American popular culture thanks to decades of movies and television shows including "The Godfather" in 1972. Some of the suspects were known by colorful nicknames typical of the Mafia such as "Tony Bagels," "Vinny Carwash" and "Junior Lollipops," according to the indictments. But Holder called them "among the most dangerous criminals in our country."
"Some allegations involve classic mob hits to eliminate perceived rivals. Others involve senseless murders. In one instance, a victim allegedly was shot and killed during a botched robbery attempt. And two other murder victims allegedly were shot dead in a public bar because of a dispute over a spilled drink," Holder said.
The FBI said it worked with the Italian National Police to apprehend and charge one suspect in Italy.
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